Chelsea players have agreed to take a 10% wage cut without the need for incentives to help them reclaim the money at a later date.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Arsenal players would be taking a 12.5% wage cut for the next 12 months but, should they reach the Champions League they will get all of that money back, 7.5% if they get into the Europa League, and none of it if we don’t.
25 from 27 players are said to have agreed to the cut initially and Mesut Ozil was, predictably, targeted when the news was announced as the Mail and Mirror both claimed he was one of the players who refused. Despite how it is being reported elsewhere, however, no player refused to reduce their wages, they were just seeking certain guarantees which were not unreasonable.
The wage cut at Chelsea, meanwhile, will not depend on any European qualification like it does at Arsenal, although they probably have more confidence in their squad than the Gunners do in theirs at present.
According to football.london, “talks were led by club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and club director Marina Granovskaia, discussions were amicable and the players negotiated for a 10% reduction and have also been told there will be no incentives to recoup the money.”
However, according to The Telegraph who broke the story, Chelsea’s pay cut will last for just four months, initially at least, while Arsenal’s is in place for a year.
No Chelsea player objected to the cut and Frank Lampard stayed out of the discussions, unlike at Arsenal where Mikel Arteta had to get involved due to some players’ genuine concern that Kroenke and co. are using the pandemic as a way to cut their over-inflated wage bill rather than because of any real financial need on the part of the club.
The Telegraph also report that, “some Arsenal players felt pressured into accepting cuts after Arteta intervened on behalf of the club via a video call.”